Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center Home Faculty Our services FAQ Contact us Fellowship program As a leading Research and Academic Center in the Gulf South, Board-certified Sleep Medicine specialists provide the State-of-the-Art care in various field of Sleep Medicine. Much more than a sleep lab, Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center is a full service sleep center which has been accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for last 20 years. Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center is one of the very few Sleep Medicine Centers in the Gulf South, which was accredited by American Academy of Sleep Medicine to train physicians in the field of Sleep Medicine. We are also one of the few sleep centers in the Gulf South that treats children. Links
Houman Dahi, M.D. Assistant Professor of Medicine Diplomate American Board of Sleep Medicine Degree: M.D., Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. 1996 Residency: Internal Medicine, St. Barnabas Hospital/Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY, 2000 Fellowship: Fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Tulane University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 2004; AASM accredited Fellowship in Sleep Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 2004 Research Interests: Diagnosis & Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea; Sleep in Intensive Care Unit; Parasomnia & Restless Leg Syndrome. Clinical Interests: Dr. Dahi treats Adult patients with Sleep Disorders including: Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Restless Leg Syndrome, Periodic Leg Movements, Narcolepsy, Parasomnias, sleep disorder associated with heart diseases, sleep disorder associated with various lung diseases, circadian rhythm disorder (including shift-work related, jet lag)
Supat Thammasitboon, M.D. Assistant Professor of Medicine Diplomate American Board of Sleep Medicine Degree: M.D., Prince of Songkla University, Songkla, Thailand, 1995 Internship/Residency: Internal Medicine, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 2000 Fellowships: Pulmonary Diseases & Critical Care Medicine, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 2003 Sleep Medicine, AASM accredited Fellowship, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 2004 Research interests: Diagnostic, Management and Novel treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension; Pulmonary Vascular Disease; Diagnostic & Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome, Sleep Disordered Breathing; Perioperative Management in patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and/or Obesity
Our Services Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center provides consultative, diagnostic and therapeutic services in a multi-disciplinary approach for various sleep disorder including: SLEEP APNEA: is a very common disease leads to frequent partial or complete collapse and obstruction of breathing passageway during sleep. Some of the symptoms include snoring, irregular breathing during sleep, excessive sleepiness, fatigue and non- restful sleep. This disease has serious consequences including cardiovascular diseases, poor performance, frequent automobile accidents and death. There are various effective treatments available for this disease. INSOMNIA: One in three American adults suffers from this disease which is defined as trouble falling or staying sleep. This condition not only can significantly affect quality of life, but in long-term may be associated with mood disorder such as depression. RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME & PERIODIC LEG MOVEMENTS: I can t stop moving my legs in bed, Worms crawl under my skin, I need to keep stretch or move my feet to get rid of discomfort are common symptoms of theses diseases. They may lead to sleep loss, disturbance of daytime activities and lead to anxiety and depression. There are several remedies for these diseases. NARCOLEPSY: is a disease associated with tendency to sleep at inappropriate times and sleep attacks. Sudden, brief losses of muscle control and vivid dream-like experiences may also present.
Our Services PARASOMNIAS: includes several behavior during sleep such as sleepwalking, sleep terrors (awakening with blood curdling dreams), REM related (or acting out to dreams during sleep) or confusion arousals (awake but very confused). CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS DISORDERS: includes various disorders such as sleep complaints related to working nontraditional hours, DSPS (inability to fall sleep until 2 am or later), ASPS (sleepiness in early afternoon), irregular sleep/wake pattern and Jet lag. SLEEP DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH HEART DISEASES, VARIOUS LUNG DISEASES AND MORE After thorough clinical assessment an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram) may be recommended to evaluate the sleep disorder. This test include monitoring brain waves, respiration, heart activity, movement or behavior during sleep and other physiologic functions during sleep in an effort to uncover the source of the sleep disturbance. This test is painless and is conducted by a trained technician. The center also offers extensive services including multiple sleep latency test (MSLT or daytime nap test), maintenance of wakefulness tests (MWT), esophageal manometry, acoustic pharyngometry and actigraphy.
Frequent Ask Questions Q: How conmmon are sleep disorders? A: 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. At least 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders Q: What are the public health consequences of poor sleep? A: Poor sleep has a price. Millions of individuals struggle to stay alert at home, in school, on the job and on the road Tragically, fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 police-reported highway crashes, causing 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths each year in the United States alone Q: Should I be concern about my sleep problems? A: If you have more than two of the symptoms listed below, you may want to discuss your sleep problems with health care professionals. I feel sleepy during the day, even when I get a good night's sleep. I get very irritable when I can't sleep. I often wake up at night and have trouble falling back to sleep. It usually takes me a long time to fall asleep. I often wake up very early and can't fall back to sleep. I experience an uncomfortable/restless sensation in my legs at night. My legs often move or jerk during the night. I sometimes wake up gasping for breath. My bed partner says my snoring keeps her/him from sleeping. I've fallen asleep driving.
Frequent Ask Questions Q : I feel somewhat sleepy. Do I have sleep disorders? A : Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common presentation of sleep disorders. Some individuals may not feel sleepy, but have the feeling of Tiredness or Fatigue. You can use Sleepiness Scale from the following link to find out how sleepy you are and when you should consult health professionals. http://www.sleepeducation.com/sleepscale.aspx Q : What is sleep study? A : After thorough clinical assessment, an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram) may be recommended to evaluate the sleep disorder. This test include monitoring brain waves, respiration, heart activity, movement or behavior during sleep and other physiologic functions during sleep in an effort to uncover the source of the sleep disturbance. This test is painless and is conducted by a trained technician. Some patients may feel uncomfortable with the wires and electrodes, but they usually sleep adequately even on the first night. The bedroom is dark, quiet with comfortable controlled temperature. You also have your own private bathroom. An overnight study will last a minimum of 6 hours, usually ending by 7:00 a.m.
Contact Us Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center Contact infomation : 1415 Tulane Ave. New Orleans, LA 70112 Call : (504) 988-1657 Fax : (504) 988-4583 For an appointment : Call (504) 988-5300 Tulane Sleep Medicine fellowship Training Program Contact information : Supat Thammasitboon, M.D. Sleep medicine fellowship program director 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-9 New Orleans, LA 70112 Call : (504) 988-2250 Fax : (504) 988-2144
Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Program, The Sleep Medicine Fellowship is an American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) accredited training program. This multidisciplinary program will provide sleep medicine fellow exposure to all aspects in clinical sleep medicine as well as sleep research within 12 months of training. The fellow will have opportunity to obtain comprehensive clinical training through AASM-accredited Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Center at Tulane University Hospital & Clinic. The fellow will have direct interaction and supervision with board-certified faculty members in Sleep Medicine Clinic, both adult and pediatrics. The fellow will also experience extensive training in polysomnogram interpretation and technical aspect. Our didactic activities include Sleep Medicine Lecture Series that cover core subjects in sleep medicine. Major changes in sleep medicine and updates will also be included in monthly Sleep Medicine Journal Club. The fellow will also have opportunities in teaching pulmonary fellows from Tulane University Health Sciences Center and LSU Health Sciences Center who routinely rotate through sleep medicine as part of their training. At present, our sleep medicine fellowship is accredited by AASM and applying for inclusion in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Applicants for this program must have complete an accredited residency or fellowship program that meet ACGME requirement. For more information regarding the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program, please contact Supat Thammasitboon, M.D. Sleep medicine fellowship program director 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-9 New Orleans, LA 70112 Call : (504) 988-2250 Fax : (504) 988-2144
Sleep Medicine Lecture Series Basic neurological sleep mechanisms Basic sleep physiology Chronobiological mechanisms Cardiovascular and Pulmonary physiology during sleep Sleep ontogeny, development and aging Sleep disordered breathing Disorders of excessive somnolence; Narcolepsy, Idiopathic hypersomnia, etc Disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep Parasomnias and movement disorders during sleep Psychopharmacology of sleep Pediatric sleep disorders (Child and infant) Standard patient setups, calibrations and signal acquisition Operation of polysomnographic equipment Scoring and staging of polysomnogram Artifacts and signal processing problems Polysomnography troubleshooting Center operations (personnel, policies and management) Standards of Sleep Disorder Center operations
LINKS Useful links provided by American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) General sleep medicine education including common sleep disorders and treaments, CPAP treatment/maintenance and news http://sleepeducation.com/ Nonprofit organization supporting public education http://www.sleepfoundation.org/ Sleepiness scale http://www.sleepeducation.com/sleepscale.aspx Good sleep hygiene http://www.sleepeducation.com/hygiene.aspx Professional standard: Practice parameters for sleep disorders http://www.aasmnet.org/practiceparam.aspx